Increasing Member Engagement Rates by Using Social Media

Social media marketing is a big deal in today's world. Old school communication efforts are quickly falling by the wayside as the internet continues to change the way organizations interact with their audiences. In the business world, social media marketing was adopted fairly quickly; when it comes to associations, however, this landscape been left largely untouched—until now.
Social media marketing can seem like a scary world if it's new to your association, but rest assured, there's an endless world of opportunities on the other side. Your members and staff are tweeting, following, and liking on a daily basis. If you want boost member engagement for your organization, it's time to get going on today's social journey.

What is Social Media Marketing & How Does it Enhance Engagement?

In short, social media marketing allows your association to speak directly to your members by way of various online channels such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. The idea is simple, but the end result can be huge: post shareable content your members need or want to know about, and let the grassroots effort of brand awareness begin.

As people share and comment on your posts, you'll have the ability to interact with them on a personal level, sharing ideas, inputs, and updates for all the world to see. This drives transparency and makes members feel closer to the association as a whole. In turn, higher morale and better troubleshooting can result from these online conversations.

How Can Social Media Marketing Boost Your Association's Member Engagement?

Great question! Now that you know what it is, it's time to learn how social media marketing can take your organization's engagement efforts to the next level.

1. Build a Blog

Blogs are essential for a few reasons. They:

Provide your members and staff with updates and insights about the organization

Give you fuel for social media posts, which can be shared on all almost all social platforms

Can help your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts

Can be searchable on your own site, allowing members to easily find updates they may have missed

Provide a place for people to voice their concerns, thoughts, or comments so everyone is on the same page

2. Empower Your Association with Instagram

Don't overlook the power of this photo-inspired social media site. This is where you can post videos and photos that show your association the great things you're doing. Be sure to create a good hashtag or two; hashtags help create a sense of belonging to the community at large. You can also search back through applicable hashtags to grab fun quotes and tidbits when it's time to create print collateral or usher in a larger online campaign.

3. Create Content that Captures Leads

Landing pages offer an incredible way to entice visitors to give you their contact information. Do you have all of your members' email addresses? Do you wish you knew a little more about them? Are you equipped with all the demographic information you need to make your organization successful?

Social media marketing is a great way to put your association's feelers out there, leading interested parties back to your site with a landing page that will help you gather relevant information. White papers, for example, typically include tons of interesting data your members and vendors would probably like to hear about. Once a white paper is polished and published, create a landing page that invites readers to learn about the data you've included on its pages. Announce your paper on various social media channels, bringing everybody to a single landing page that's built to capture leads that will help your organization grow.

4. Keep Up with Your Accounts

One of the easiest ways to lose engagement is to have three-year-old posts showing as the most recent updates. Commit to engaging with your members on a regular basis, and your association will surely reap the rewards.

Is your association in need of enhancing its engagement efforts? Remember, your members are on social media, which means you should be, too. MemberSuite is all about helping our partner associations make the most of their efforts, which means we're here to help you navigate the social media marketing matrix. Why should you embrace this channel of communication? Download our white paper What is an Association Without Members to get up to speed on this essential medium.